Room For Improvement

Illustration by Catarina Oliveira. Contact me for commissions or licensing opportunities.

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I've moved!

I will continue posting in a new blog, on my Squarespace site.

One of the reasons I changed to that platform was the Blog integration. I hope to see you there!

This Tumblr will continue online, with all the previous posts. Who knows, I might come back...

New Blog link.

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Celebrating I Read Canadian Day

Happy I Read Canadian Day!

The second annual I Read Canadian Day is being celebrated today, Wednesday, February 17, 2021, across Canada, with kids, adults, parents, teachers, and creators, reading and sharing their favourite Canadian books. You can read more about this initiative here.

As a Picture book illustrator, I mostly read picture books (Children's, graphic novels, etc.), so this year I'm excited to read: Cone Cat, written by Sarah Howden, illustrated by Carmen Mock; Pretty Tricky, written by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Ashley Barron; and Maya’s Big Scene, written and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

There are many reading lists shared over IRC Twitter and Instagram if you need suggestions. And check Bibliovideo, they share readings and interviews on their Youtube Channel.

Also big shout out to Kathie and Laurie for this amazing list, on their blog Bit About Books.

What books are you most excited to read this year?

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A Before & After and World Read Aloud Day 2021 celebration

For the twelfth annual World Read Aloud Day, on February 3, 2021, I decided to redraw an oldie from 2017. I used to gather my plushies and dolls on my bed to get cozy and read when I was a kid. 

Books were very important to me when I was growing up and according to LitWorld, reading aloud every day puts kids ahead by 1 year, no matter their background. That's why I celebrate this special day.

World Read Aloud Day is an amazing initiative by LitWorld, check their website for more info on how to help, donate or spread the word.

2017 - Mix media on cardboard

2021 - Digital 

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An 8 page zine for Halloween

How a single drawing inspired me to write and illustrate a short story.

Even though I always feel super creative around September and October because of all the drawing challenges with amazing prompt lists, I couldn’t participate in any this year because of book deadlines, and it would be way too much extra pressure/work. That said, I was playing with some of my new Procreate brushes by Retrosupply (specifically their ESSENTIAL PROCREATE BRUSH BUNDLE) and found myself drawing a Halloween little scene, with two months in advance. Had so much fun with it that I started warming up my work drawing sessions with other Halloween snippets, so after the cemetery with the lettering, I drew a frog Prince, and with those two drawings I started thinking of a story. Now, I’m not a writer, and my only goal was to make a thread out of these spot illos I had in my head, so they would make sense together. Instead of the pressure of making 31 drawings, I settled for 6 spots plus the cover, and turned them into a 8 page mini-book (a letter size paper that you fold into turning pages as explained in this video) with some very simple sentences. The fun in this project was the challenge of just using 3 brushes (for the most part) to create B&W illustrations, and I certainly would love to explore this further and work on illustrations for a middle grade or young adult book.

Prompts were:

Cemetery; Trick Or Treat; Candy; The Bride; Toad and Surprise

Check the tag #COSHalloween2020 on IG to see timelapse videos.

And visit the Retrosupply store (not sponsored, I really like their brushes), I used brushes from their Essencial Procreate Brush Bundle (specifically the Cross-Country Cross Hatchers, and the Broken Inkers Brush Set) plus the Perfect Gouache one.

“Trick Or Treat?” - A Halloween Tale

There’s a tiny gate with a bell on the east wall of the cemetery, but no one knows who lives on the other side in the spooky cabin. 

On Halloween night, Kevin decided to ring the bell for Trick Or Treat. 

“Who dares to disturb the dead?!”

“Trick or Treat…?” Kevin mumbled, his voice trailing off.

A lady dressed in black picked up his pumpkin basket and made some gruesome candy appear out of thin air with magical powers. 

She invited Kevin in and began to tell him all about her best friend, pointing at the huge photograph of a bride, who would join her later that night; and how marvelous their Halloween Nights always were. 

“Oh don’t mind Harry”, she continued. She had preserved her pet toad under a glass bell jar but still missed him very much. 

The lady in black, Fran was her name, felt so lonely without Harry, that she decided it was finally time for a new pet. Mwahahahaha!

Happy Halloween!

And...

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“Alexandra And The Awful Dates” Illustration Process

How the cover came to be - from thumbnail to final color. 

These are not all the thumbnails or sketches, but they give you an idea of the several stages of the process. I made the illustration and the graphic designer made the title and names treatment (font, colors, etc).

The illustration process for the rest of the book is pretty much the same, very small thumbnails (sometimes more than one solution for the same page) with stick figures, to study composition; a few rounds of back and forth with the editor, going to the roughs and locking the drawings to be ready for coloring. 

I started with the first spread in this case (it doesn’t always happen like this) and once I was happy with the color palette, I moved on to the rest of the book, using those colors.

Alex Outifts Moodboard

For Alexandra or Alex, I knew I wanted to have fun with her wardrobe, I wanted her to be someone who enjoys fashion but ultimately someone who dresses for herself and not for others (which is somewhat inspirational for me and not exactly how I dress).

I took inspiration from my own Pinterest Board called Style and from some trends happening at the time (early 2020), but not all outfits are exact copies of existing pieces (with one fun exception). And I also didn’t want her to dress just designer clothes or tie her to a specific season of the year.

From cozy oversized sweaters to the classic leather jacket, playing with animal prints and accessorizing with chunky earrings, I mostly drew Alex wearing dresses and skirts, casual or fancy depending on her date. The one exception I mentioned is the blouse with transparent puff sleeves she wears at the cafe, that top was directly inspired by a scene from the series Russian Doll (Netflix), although I can’t recall if the image was stuck in mind or if I was watching the show at the time, but it’s definitely appropriate. Either way, I love being inspired by TV shows or films, especially if they are historical or period dramas. And I hope Alex inspires you not only by her outfits but by her positive attitude, in this book.

A book celebration and virtual launch event

This Thursday, October 29, I will be sharing more about this book, in a conversation with the author, Rebekah Manley, and guests, organized by The Writing Barn.

Admission is free!⁠ 

https://www.thewritingbarn.com/class/free-book-launch-celebration-with-rebekah-manley-catarina-oliveira-guests-online/

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You are invited!

To a Book Launch Celebration for “Alex And The Awful Dates”, a picture book parody about dating.

“Publishing, much like dating, isn’t a solitary sport. Join the team that created Rebekah Manley’s hilarious debut book in a discussion about what it takes to make a picture book for adults and the fun they had along the way. Special guests include Rebekah’s agent, Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency, Alex’s editor, Claire Sielaff of Ulysses Press, and illustrator Catarina Oliveira.”

I will be at this virtual event to participate on a fun conversation with the author and guests, I hope you can join us!

Sign up here.

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A new Book & sneak peek

Alexandra And The Awful, Awkward, No Fun, Truly Bad Dates, a picture book parody, by Rebekah Manley, published by Ulysses Press, will be out on October 13! And it’s my first adult Picture Book.

What do I know about picture books for adults, dating culture, or Millenials? Well, not much! This project was a great challenge because Alexandra and the Awful Dates is an adventure story with a great character, full of humor; so it was easy to become friends with Alex and even more fun to draw her trusty French bulldog pup, Lottie.

Rebekah Manley does a great job balancing the sad awful moments from bad dates with humor. Alexandra comes out so much stronger from all those bad experiences, and I could really relate to those life lessons. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I enjoyed illustrating these dates.

You can Pre-order at rebekahmanley.com or at ulyssespress.com

I will be a guest at the Book Launch Celebration with Rebekah Manley, & Guests, on October 29, organized by The Writing Barn - More Info on this event soon. Make sure to follow Rebekah and myself on Instagram for more surprises like freebies and giveaways.

I will be sharing more about my illustration process for this book, later in November, stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I made a FREE printable - a Coloring Page with Lottie.

Download here.

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Meanwhile this week...

An overview of warm-up drawings and other shenanigans I made this week (May 23), unrelated to my current illustration commission (which I can’t show). Usually I share these on Instagram Stories but why not round them up here in a blog post?

Despite not using a physical sketchbook paper, these are my sketches, they are random in the subject and the result of having the need to either draw because I’m inspired or draw because I’m not inspired and still need to warm up (hand and brain). Sometimes they spark ideas for a full personal project that I will revisit later (when I have the time), but I love sketching freely without any goals behind it.

In chronological order from oldest to most recent: two abstract posters, an inky pear, one raddish, a fan-art drawing about the movie Tremors (1990), and a flower pattern.

Speaking of patterns, last month, after finishing a book commission I managed to participate in Victoria Johnson’s course Create Collections. It was on my wish list for years and it didn’t disappoint, I loved the assignments and learned a ton. I didn’t complete my project (yet) but now I have the confidence to create a collection if I want to. Here are my two birds and a coordinate pattern I did for the course.

This week I finished a portrait of Yayoi Kusama, a portfolio piece, for a Magazine cover (this is a case study mockup and not a real commission), because I would love to do more editorial illustrations and famous portraits in this style. 

Meanwhile, I am keeping busy with my current book commission and washing all my groceries when I get home (don’t message me, it gives me peace of mind). I’ve been home since March 12, just going out every 2 weeks to go to the supermarket. My body is really complaining about it (I’m not young anymore?) so I’m going out to a nearby park to walk and exercise now (with a mask on of course). Everything else I’m still not mentally prepared to do, even though I miss my old routine and friends.

Stay safe if you can!

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Free Coloring Pages

I am lucky for being able to work from home, and I am seeking comfort and peace of mind on drawing, just like many other artists. If you have kids at home, or even for you, I just uploaded two Coloring Pages on my blog that you can download for free. You can print them or color them on your favorite App. 

I am grateful for friends who I can video call, for artists that are doing Live streams and Art challenges, for teachers who suggest books & activities, etc, we should be home but we don’t need to be lonely. Feel free to DM me if you need to talk or would like more resources.

DOWNLOAD here http://bit.ly/39Zwqnj

For personal use only.

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My first cover illustration for a Canadian author and book will be out in October this year! :D 

Book is called Just watch Me, by Erin Silver. Cover concept and design by David Moratto. Published by Common Deer Press.

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The Fate of Fausto: Oliver Jeffers’s Lovely Painted Fable About the Absurdity of Greed and the Existential Triumph of Enoughness, Inspired by Vonnegut

A soulful meditation on the eternal battle between the human animal and its ego, played out on the primordial arena of elemental truth.

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2019 best nine Instagram posts

This year’s top nine posts (most liked), thank you for following my Illustration journey.

https://www.instagram.com/catarinaoliveirastudio/

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What do all of these projects have in common? – A Summer recap

It’s no secret that I use Art Challenges with prompts lists to create new work and content for my portfolio when commissions are slow, they give me ideas for my own briefings and help me keep a daily practice. For me, it’s important to have a goal behind this self-initiated work like to get better at poses, although it could be just for fun, or as a warm-up, in my case, is the way I procrastinate for the most part. But once in a while, there is a list that sparks my creativity, that’s exactly what happened with the drawings I’m sharing in this post.

Here are just some of the places where I find challenges: 

- Instagram and hashtags like “Draw this in your style”.

- Lisa Bardot and her awesome website Making Art Everyday; 

- the Portfolio Club Group (for Instagram) and Illostories Group (operates on Facebook), mostly Kid Lit Art oriented instructions, ideas, and tutorials; 

- They Draw And Cook has different topics for their submissions.

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Circus 

July’s theme for Portfolio Club (monthly Instagram challenge) was Circus and I wanted to draw some characters (with no animals) at the time. I started with the Fortune Teller which sounded more of a Carnival Show, so I went with a vintage look and incorporated my characters in a deck of cards. I decided to use limited colors from the beginning, and as usual, that made it so much easier to simplify the composition, but, because the drawings were made spread out over the month, I don’t find them very cohesive, except for the colors of course. In a way, this is very similar to what I am sketching right now (see Animals with jobs).

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Food Illustration

I made a lot of watermelon salads this Summer and I even drafted a recipe for TDAC but then I saw that the new TDAC HandPicked Design Challenge was perfect for it, so I finished the watermelon recipe and scribbled a couple more ideas for the topic (Food Geometry). I only managed to submit one more simple illustration but I am happy to report that my Citrus and “naturally spherical fruit” submission will be featured in the Uppercase magazine. 

Naturally, I would love to be commissioned to illustrate food for any type of project.

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Tiny Houses coloring pages

2 weeks ago it was Lisa’s week of drawing Objects as houses. I’ve always loved tiny houses and suddenly I couldn’t stop drawing them. I would like to make a coloring book one day, so I took this opportunity to draw in black & white and focus more on the details instead of adding color. These drawings took some time as I can get lost in little tweaks for hours (I love that) so eventually, I missed a couple of the 7 prompts and ended up coloring 2 of my drawings in bed, just for relaxation. It was a good exercise though, to draw more backgrounds and environments.

I plan to release these as PDFs you can download, print and color!

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Animals with jobs colored sketches 

And before I even finished my last draft for the teapot Tiny house, I came across with a prompts list for Sketchtember. I was hooked despite being already August 31. My first sketch was very loose and simple but that’s the whole idea of Sketchtember right? (some people use it to do the sketches that they will ink in October for Inktober, so smart).

Anyway, I was in the mood to switch gears again from those detailed drawings, and it is always a good idea to practice poses, besides I love drawing animals.

My goal with these is to push my composition and movement skills and ultimately experiment with colors. Too much pressure? 

I'm writing this as I finish my 5th sketch and honestly, it might be my last, not because of the lack of fun but of time! I am not very fast or good at setting time limits, it’s the perfectionist in me. 

1. Lion, pastry chef. 2. Bear, fitness trainer. 3. Sloth, officer (pilot). 4. Mouse, waitress.

Prompts list created by Mia Gillenkirch.

To wrap up this post I’m sharing a bit of my process and 2 of my top tips when it comes to Children’s Illustration (KidLit or YA) and these quick/simple sketches: 

I draft my idea without any references first (I draw very poorly as you can see in this time-lapse video), and then I look at photos of real animals to draw some realistic features. But things like bikes, yeah I need references. In terms of composition, I start with a very simple straight pose before starting to push it forward by playing with proportions (big/small) like a huge nose or long arms. The other thing I keep in mind is to decontextualize objects to create a more interesting story, like an unexpected color choice, or giving a different context to a situation. It helps to get pose ideas, for example, instead of thinking of a hairdresser you can approach the crocodile (the hairdresser) as an artist looking at his art. I ask questions like, is there an emotion showing or is it dynamic enough? I draw a lot of versions of the same thing until I am okay with it, then I pause it (if I can), come back with fresh eyes and that always helps me noticing improvements I can make. That’s it! A third tip would be Keep it simple! 

Let me know if this was helpful and if you would like more of these posts.

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All of these were done with an Ipad Pro & Apple Pencil, in the App Procreate. One brush used, called Dry Ink. 

There are Art Challenges all year round but this is my favorite season, starting with Setchtember, Inktober, anything Halloween, leading all the way to Christmas and its countdown. At the moment I don’t have anything planned but I never know when Procrastination kicks in and says, “You have to do this challenge!” :D And no, I haven’t discovered the magic secret to finishing a drawing challenge, but I tend not to take these things too seriously. Have you ever participated in one?

To see the complete projects and all of my sketches check my Instagram @catarinaoliveirastudio.

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CANSCAIP Art Show 2019

I’m super excited to be part of this Art Show again this year. Just like in 2018 Kid Lit Illustrators from all around the World were invited to show their latest work, published or unpublished, in a collective exhibit organized by CANSCAIP.  I selected 2 pieces, the “Alice In Wonderland” book cover and an inside spread of the book “The Fox And The Crow”, both self-initiated portfolio pieces, and made new promo postcards for the occasion.

If you are in Toronto, you are invited to the opening reception on Thurs. May 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. There will be wine and cheese. Publishers, editors, art directors and others in the children’s book community will also be invited. Bring your family and friends!

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Let’s protest!

Illustrator EMMA REYNOLDS started a campaign called #KIDLIT4Climate, with a very important message: we, Children’s illustrators & authors must show our support to the cause and to the kids who are protesting about it, this Friday March 15th. So here’s my Protestor Lemur, it’s not just his home that is endangered, it is OURS too! 

Check the website for more info on this Campaign and follow it on Social media! 

https://twitter.com/kidlit4climate 

https://www.instagram.com/kidlit4climate/

#kidlit4climate is a campaign to stand in solidarity with the young people striking from school for urgent climate action. 

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The Reality of Growing a New Online Business

Today, I want to get super real with you about where I'm at and share something most people don't share publicly online. In fact, many people avoid talking about this at all for fear of it impacting their business. But because of what I do, and the pivot I made in my business I feel like it's impor

An inspirational read from my business coach and mentor Meighan O’Toole.

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2018 Year In Review and plans for 2019

Happy New Year!

With my first goal of the year being “Redesign the blog to match my brand new website”, I need to make this post short and sweet. I am focusing first on the good things that happened in 2018 and writing them in the following list:

My Pet Portraiture business grew a lot and I had amazing clients with beautiful dogs and cats. Where are all the lizard and spider owners though? I will be sharing all the portraits on Instagram, stay tuned for that.

I once again participated and exhibited my work at the Pet Festival Leashes By The Lake, a fundraising event for Etobicoke Humane Society. This time I set myself to do something I never tried before: quick dog portraits in ink and water brush made on the spot. It was fun but really hard because I was nervous and I cannot focus on more than one thing at the same time, so I am very thankful I had a friend helping me with the stuff I am terrible at like cash handling, multitasking or taking photos of the actual drawings and dogs!

I submitted more work and got a little painting published in Uppercase Magazine.

I opened myself more on social media, still working on actually talking on Live videos but 2019 might be the year.

Another scary thing I did was buying a Portfolio review/critique with an art Director at a conference, but it went very well and I had good feedback. Now just need to act on the advice received.

Went to an Illustration Conference and other events making big efforts to network more.

I had one really fun editorial job for an online Magazine cover, my first US client.

I bought an Ipad Pro and Pencil, and I started working mostly in Procreate, rediscovering a new style and ways of drawing. Good stuff, very pleased so far.

Had fun creating a physical product to sell: my 2019 calendar.

I travelled to 2 new countries that I absolutely loved (at least the tiny bit we visited): Cuba and Mexico.

The not so good but learning experiences nonetheless:

Submitted lots of work that didn’t get published or accepted. I will keep submitting.

Definitely need to improve my contact skills and work on growing my newsletter list.

Didn’t write as much as I wanted here on the blog. Remember: DONE, NOT PERFECT!

Created a product but it didn’t sell well, have much to learn about MKT.

Didn’t do enough scary things. Word for 2019: ACTION.

Here’s to painting and meeting even more animals in 2019 and to having more awesome illustration projects and clients!

Two of the inky sketches I did at Leashes By The Lake Pet Festival, in September. And my 2019 Calendar, featuring rescue kitties, is still for sale here!